by Olly RichardsThere are a lot of ways to learn Russian.
So while books and grammar guides work for some people, you can also try out Russian YouTube channels to help you learn Russian.
YouTube videos are great because you can get real language input and watch them as much as you like or skip what doesn’t interest you.
With that in mind, you're going to discover ten of the best Russian YouTube channels.
I’ll be covering Russian YouTube channels that are aimed at beginners, intermediate speakers, and some that are meant for natives too.
Plus a lot of these Russian Youtubers also have podcasts, so you can get even more resources for learning Russian.
Pro Tip
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Russian YouTube Channels For Beginning Russian learners
Whether you’re starting from scratch or only know a few words, these Russian YouTube channels are great to help you get the fundamentals of Russian.
#1 Amazing Russian
If you’re really starting from zero, then Amazing Russian is a great jumping-off point.
The channel has been going for a few years, so the back catalogue is pretty extensive and covers every grammar point that beginners and intermediate learners should know.
In fact, there are whole плейлисты (playlists) dedicated to specific grammar points like verbal aspect, Russian pronunciation, the dative case, and Russian reflexive verbs.
One of the best things about Amazing Russian is how focused the channel is on grammar. That means that if any specific aspect of Russian is confusing, you can go through A LOT of content to understand it better.
For example, she has an 8-video playlist that focuses on the instrumental case!
#2 Real Russian Club
With the personable and lively host, Daria, this a good place to start for those who are beginning to learn Russian. Daria also makes sure to keep things interesting with different facts and stories about Russian culture and history.
Her content includes loads of videos on individual verbs, often going over them and how they are used in everyday speech.
This makes the channel ideal for those starting out with lessons covering grammar and vocab in a straightforward and easy-to-understand way.
She also has a ‘zero to fluency’ playlist for absolute beginners, after which you should have the fundamentals of Russian and be at an A1 level.
#3 RussianPod101
The LanguagePod101 series is one of the better known language learning platforms around. The principle behind this channel is to learn from the very beginning.
That means if you’re starting out learning Russian, then this is a good YouTube channel to look at. Here you can learn the Russian alphabet, basic words and phrases and pronunciation.
All languages on the Pod101 network also offer lessons and courses. The paid courses naturally go into more detail but you can still learn a lot from the channel about sentence structures and vocabulary for different situations.
#4 Russian By Books
This is a lesser-known channel with a big focus on learning vocabulary. The videos are in English and a great starting point for people who want to expand their mental dictionary quickly.
The host even has a special video series designed to teach learners the 1,000 most common words in Russian.
So if you want to expand your vocabulary, this is a great place to learn the right words for kitchen appliances, clothes and your favourite film genres.
#5 In Russian From Afar
With host Sergei, in Russian from Afar is the place to go when you feel comfortable with the fundamentals of Russian. The majority of his videos are in slow and comprehensible Russian, almost always with English and Russian subtitles available.
He covers not just grammar, but also different aspects of Russian culture, history, and what life is like in Siberia.
There are also a lot of TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) videos so you can learn through stories to learn Russian in context. As the creator of the StoryLearning method, I approve!
A lot of Sergei’s videos are marked for their difficulty. Most of them are labelled as A2 or B1 (upper beginner and beginning intermediate) so he’s great to watch if you know the foundations but want to take your Russian further.
Russian YouTube Channels For Intermediate Learners
The next set of Russian YouTube channels is for intermediate learners who have the basics down but are still working on expanding their vocab and learning idiomatic speech.
#6 Ruland Club/VERBA
Along with her podcast, host Nina Minchenko has been teaching upper-beginning and intermediate learners Russian for a long time. Her videos cover a huge variety of topics and have lots of graphics and examples to help learners.
She covers different grammar points like gender and each noun case as well as broader topics like travel, emotions, Russian idioms, and Russian slang.
Most of her videos are in Russian, but oftentimes explanations are in English. There are also plenty of videos where she switches between the two and most have subtitles available.
Note – The channel is now called Verba and all of Nina’s recent videos have focused on teaching Ukrainian. However, the catalogue from RU Land Club is still available and extremely helpful to intermediate Russian students.
#6 Russian From Russia
Russian from Russia is written, acted, and operated by Anna. Her videos are primarily for intermediate learners because she guides you into the Russian-speaking world with everything in Russian only.
With Anna, you’ll learn not just about grammar but about different aspects of the русский мир (Russian world).
Honestly, if you want to get deeper into the Russian-speaking world, I really recommend Anna’s channel. She covers things like Russian films that people still quote or reference, everyday superstitions, folk tales, train etiquette, and more.
So along with grammar and vocab, you get to learn about the different cultures of the Russian speaking world.
#8 Russian With Max
I’ve talked about Max’s podcast before and putting that together with his channel Russian with Max, he is one of the best resources for intermediate learners out there.
The thing about Max is that he approaches every topic he covers from a place of curiosity. So you never know what Max is going to talk about next.
He’s an extremely well-read, well-rounded, and enthusiastic teacher who wants to talk about anything and everything.
His videos cover lots of topics. That includes his travels throughout Russia and lots of other countries as well as conversations about abstract ideas like what it means to judge others or our relationship to history.
Like his podcast, everything is in Russian. However, Max has a knack for knowing when a word or phrase is hard to understand and will often stop to explain certain expressions or vocab for different topics.
Max also has an excellent series of videos that cover vocab for specific activities. This way you can learn words and phrases for driving, going to the gym, and preparing the best pot of tea.
Russian YouTube Channels For Upper-Intermediate & Advanced
The last group of Russian YouTube channels is for Russian students who have really mastered the fundamentals, have built up a decent vocab, and are ready to learn about more specific topics.
#9 hhwang – кто молодец?!
It might seem strange to include a YouTuber who’s not a native Russian speaker, but if you like food you should definitely watch. Not only is the host’s Russian excellent, but also her channel is extremely fun.
Хеён (Heyon) is from South Korea and talks about her life there, although most of the time, she is firmly focused on food. She shows viewers what Korean barbecue looks like, how to make homemade kimchi, and snacks from around the world.
Really if you have any interest in food, or want to talk about cooking in Russian then it’s worth checking out. Everything is in Russian and she speaks in a clear and comprehensible way.
#10 Всё как у зверей
If you’re at all interested in other cultures and people’s behaviour, then I really recommend Всё как у зверей (Just Like Other Animals).
The host, Evgeniya Timonova, travels all over the place looking at the way people behave and comparing it to animal behaviour. And it’s fascinating!
The Russian is a bit tricky at times but the content is so engaging that you’ll be able to follow along regardless.
Evgeniya has a real skill for showing the strangeness of human behaviour and making it interesting. A lot of her videos have Russian subtitles and the most popular ones have English subs as well.
Learning Through Russian YouTube Channels
Now that we’ve come to the end of the list, you’ve got a whole slew of ways to learn Russian with different Russian YouTube channels.
One of the best things about learning through videos is that it’s easier to immerse yourself in the experience. That way, even if you don’t understand every single word, you still feel like you're learning something from the experience.
No matter what your Russian-level is, the size of your vocab, or your interest, there’s definitely something for you.
So with that, why not try watching some of these Russian YouTube channels and see which creator has something that fits you.
Skip, fast-forward, and re-watch as much as you like as you start mastering the Russian language on YouTube. And as always удача из удач (best of luck)!
Olly Richards
Creator of the StoryLearning® Method
Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.
Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.
When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.
